‘NationFried’ by The Romans won Gold in Experiential B2B, Finance & more at The Drum Awards, transforming Nationwide’s FlexStudent account into a celebration of fried chicken and takeaway culture, driving a 33% increase in student consideration and a 270% rise in account openings.
Imagine being a student and not having a Monzo account. What an ick.
And herein lay our brief. Capture the attention of notoriously uninterested students and drive sign-ups for Nationwide’s FlexStudent account against the much sexier competition of Monzo and Starling. With the new £120 JustEat voucher perk our only point of difference, we needed something unexpected and out of keeping with the traditional world of finance, that was going to begin to change perceptions of the UK’s largest and oldest building society.
We turned a simple bank account offering into the ultimate celebration of fried chicken and takeaway culture, as well as a must-attend freshers Party - 'NationFried'.
The week-long event was a feast for the senses. We deliberately chose a humble chicken shop, that students are used to stumbling into on their way home, as well as much-loved TikTok stars (rather than dusty rent-a-celebs) to help curate what we offered when they walked through the door.
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From free servings of food, to first-term financial survival tips, the event quickly spread on social and through word of mouth which led to a healthy serving of students queuing around the block to get in on opening night.
The campaign drove a 33% increase in consideration among students, with 73% agreeing that Nationwide is a brand that gets young people, 64% saying they would consider switching to Nationwide after seeing the campaign, and 68% saying they would suggest it to their mates.
During the launch period, a staggering 10,186 FlexStudent accounts were opened, a 270% on the previous year. This campaign didn’t just speak to students, it spoke their language. It wasn’t about hard sells or financial jargon. It was about showing up in their world and making an authentic connection. Most importantly, it wasn’t cringe. Not bad for a financial institution that has been around since 1884.
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